Stars of Week 10

QB: Ben Roethlisberger, PIT: 37-46, 408 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs 

RB: Ezekiel Elliot, DAL: 21 carries, 114 yards, 2 TDs (2 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD)

WR: Antonio Brown, PIT: 14 catches, 154 yards, 1 TD     

TE: Delanie Walker, TEN: 9 catches, 124 yards, 1 TD

Week 10 brought us undoubtedly the best week of football games thus far in the 2016 season. The high scoring Cowboys-Steelers thriller provides us with three quarters of our weekly stars, with names familiar to even novice fantasy players. Ben Roethlisberger nearly threw the Steelers to victory, surpassing the 400 yard mark with 3 TD passes. However, rookie sensation Ezekiel Elliott dashed the Steelers’ hopes with a game winning 32 yard TD run with 9 seconds left. Elliott is arguably the overall top fantasy RB, with David Johnson of the Cardinals also throwing his hat into the ring. Antonio Brown hauled in 154 yards worth of Roethlisberger passes, and he remains the top of the class at WR. Last but not least, Delanie Walker had yet another great game for the Titans, and he’s a top 5 TE. No surprises with our league leaders this week.

Week 10 Takeaways – A Closer Look

Each week we take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.

- Marcus Mariota, QB - TEN: 19-26, 295 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs

Analysis: The Titans have a very promising future, with Marcus Mariota leading the way. The second year QB from Oregon has taken the next step in his development, showing growth in reading defenses and making throws in tight windows. The Green Bay Packers had a first hand view of Mariota’s development, as he shredded them for four TD passes and just under 300 yards. Through 10 games, Mariota boasts a 21 to 8 TD to INT ratio, with 17 TD passes in his last six games. In this offensive outburst against the Packers, Mariota ran for only 8 yards, which grades positively here – it means that his passing skills are sufficient in their own right and doesn’t need to rely on the run for his value. As for Mariota’s fantasy value going forward, he straddles the QB1/QB2 border depending on matchup. He’s startable most weeks, and the sky’s the limit on his development.

- CJ Prosise, RB – SEA: 17 carries, 66 yards, 0 TDs (7 catches, 87 yards, 0 TDs)

Analysis: The Seahawks had their eye on CJ Prosise in the 2016 draft, as the team needed a pass catching weapon out of the backfield. The Notre Dame wide receiver convert got his first chance at major playing time for the Seahawks this past Sunday night, and he delivered in a huge way against the Patriots. With Christine Michael having been ineffective lately and Thomas Rawls not back yet from injury, Prosise got the start at RB and provided a much needed jolt to both the rushing and passing game. As for what to expect, Prosise will likely keep the starting nod for another week or so, and will slide to the third down/passing down role upon Rawls’ return. The early word is that Rawls will be back this week against the Eagles, but it will likely take a few weeks before he’s ready to be the lead rusher. So Prosise’s value peak will be the next week or two, and will drop upon Rawls’ return. But the long term good news is that Prosise will still hold value in his passing down role. Prosise should be picked up in all leagues, especially those with PPR scoring.

- Rob Kelley, RB - WAS: 22 carries, 97 yards 0 TDs 

Analysis: Rob Kelley was on the pickup list last week with good reason – he was in the process of taking over starting duties from Matt Jones on a full-time basis. After an impressive performance against the Vikings, where Kelley narrowly missed hitting the 100 yard mark, he has secured the starting tailback spot for the Redskins. In case there was any doubt, the team made Matt Jones inactive against the Vikings. Kelley’s average sits close to 5 yards per carry, and he’s the type of running back that moves the chains. Kelley’s a tough guy to bring down, and he has good sight and instincts with the running lanes. Kelley’s an RB2 going forward, so if you snagged him in your league, enjoy the results. 

- Todd Gurley, RB – LA: 21 carries, 64 yards, 0 TDs          

Analysis: If we were to rank first round busts in 2016 fantasy drafts, Gurley would sit near the very top. Through nine games, Gurley has found the end zone only 3 times, while averaging a paltry 3.1 yards per carry. At his current pace, Gurley will fall short of the 1,000 yard mark. At this junction of the season, we’re well past the point of waiting for Gurley to snap out of it. Diagnosing the cause of his down season, the primary culprit is the dreadful QB/OL situation for the Rams. “We’ve got to respect Case Keenum’s vertical passing game” – said nobody – and teams are stacking the box against Gurley. Now it would be unfair to absolve Gurley from blame, as the situation this year isn’t that different from 2015. Gurley’s not making the correct reads on as many runs as last year, and he has not popped the big runs that we saw in his rookie season. As for Gurley’s future value, there’s too much talent for him not to be a stud for his career. The situation for this year is a different story though – Gurley’s a low end RB2 until we see clear progress. This means that sitting Gurley on the bench for certain weeks makes sense, unfortunately.

- DeVante Parker, WR – MIA: 5 catches, 103 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis: Second year player DeVante Parker was a mildly popular mid round sleeper in fantasy drafts this year. As for his season performance to date, it’s been up and down. Through nine games, Parker has two games with more than 100 yards and four games with less than 30 yards. That’s not helpful to fantasy teams – donut weeks are hard to take. Against the Chargers this past weekend, Parker led his team in targets with 8 and yards with 103. The good news is that the Dolphins’ offense has come to life with Jay Ajayi boosting the running game, which has trickled up to quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the passing game. As for Parker’s prognosis for the rest of the year, I would still view him as a low end WR3/ high end WR4 depending on matchups. He’s still too inconsistent to trust. However, it’s worth keeping an eye on Parker for 2017 scouting purposes. Parker’s oozing with talent, and a consistent uptick in production down the stretch here could foreshadow a breakout player for 2017.

Rapid Fire Pickups 

Each week we recommend potential free agent pickups from each position, in each case 1) someone who has NOT been referenced above, and 2) a player available in most leagues.

QB: Ryan Tannehill, MIA

RB: Thomas Rawls, SEA (last chance to get him if available in your league)

RB: James Starks, GB

WR: Cameron Meredith, CHI (with Jeffery suspended, grab Meredith)

WR: Tyreek Hill, KC

TE: C.J. Fiedorowicz, HOU

Week 11 Rankings

Quarterbacks:

  1. Tom Brady, NE (at SF)
  2. Ben Roethlisberger, PIT (at CLE)
  3. Andrew Luck, IND (vs TEN)
  4. Aaron Rodgers, GB (at WAS)
  5. Marcus Mariota, TEN (at IND)
  6. Matthew Stafford, DET (vs JAX)
  7. Russell Wilson, SEA (vs PHI)
  8. Kirk Cousins, WAS (vs GB)
  9. Derek Carr, OAK (vs HOU)
  10. Eli Manning, NYG (vs CHI)
  11. Dak Prescott, DAL (vs BAL)
  12. Tyrod Taylor, BUF (at CIN)
  13. Andy Dalton, CIN (vs BUF)
  14. Blake Bortles, JAX (at DET)
  15. Jameis Winston, TB (at KC)
  16. Colin Kaepernick, SF (vs NE)
  17. Alex Smith, KC (vs TB)
  18. Carson Palmer, ARZ (at MIN)
  19. Joe Flacco, BAL (at DAL)
  20. Ryan Tannehill, MIA (at LA)

Running Backs:

  1. Le'Veon Bell, PIT (at CLE)
  2. DeMarco Murray, TEN (at IND)
  3. Ezekiel Elliott, DAL (vs BAL)
  4. David Johnson, ARZ (at MIN)
  5. LeSean McCoy, BUF (at CIN)
  6. LeGarrette Blount, NE (at SF)
  7. Spencer Ware, KC (vs TB)
  8. Jay Ajayi, MIA (at LA)
  9. Lamar Miller, HOU (at OAK)
  10. Frank Gore, IND (vs TEN)
  11. Robert Kelley, WAS (vs GB)
  12. Todd Gurley, LA (vs MIA)
  13. Doug Martin, TB (at KC)
  14. Latavius Murray, OAK (vs HOU)
  15. Theo Riddick, DET (vs JAX)
  16. Jeremy Hill, CIN (vs BUF)
  17. Carlos Hyde, SF (vs NE)
  18. C.J. Prosise, SEA (vs PHI)
  19. Jordan Howard, CHI (at NYG)
  20. James Starks, GB (at WAS)
  21. Isaiah Crowell, CLE (vs PIT)
  22. Giovani Bernard, CIN (vs BUF)
  23. Darren Sproles, PHI (at SEA)
  24. Ryan Mathews, PHI (at SEA)
  25. Chris Ivory, JAX (at DET)
  26. Terrance West, BAL (at DAL)
  27. Rashad Jennings, NYG (vs CHI)
  28. James White, NE (at SF)
  29. Thomas Rawls, SEA (vs PHI)
  30. Kenneth Dixon, BAL (at DAL)
  31. Duke Johnson, CLE (vs PIT)
  32. T.J. Yeldon, JAX (at DET)
  33. Paul Perkins, NYG (vs CHI)
  34. Matt Asiata, MIN (vs ARZ)
  35. Chris Thompson, WAS (vs GB)
  36. Dion Lewis, NE (at SF)
  37. Charcandrick West, KC (vs TB)
  38. DuJuan Harris, SF (vs NE)
  39. Chris Thompson, WAS (vs GB)
  40. Jerick McKinnon, MIN (vs ARZ)

Wide Receivers:

  1. Odell Beckham Jr., NYG (vs CHI)
  2. Antonio Brown, PIT (at CLE)
  3. A.J. Green, CIN (vs BUF)
  4. Mike Evans, TB (at KC)
  5. Jordy Nelson, GB (at WAS)
  6. T.Y. Hilton, IND (vs TEN)
  7. Dez Bryant, DAL (vs BAL)
  8. Amari Cooper, OAK (vs HOU)
  9. Allen Robinson, JAX (at DET)
  10. Brandin Cooks, NO (at CAR)
  11. Doug Baldwin, SEA (vs PHI)
  12. Michael Crabtree, OAK (vs HOU)
  13. Donte Moncrief, IND (vs TEN)
  14. Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ (at MIN)
  15. Stefon Diggs, MIN (vs ARZ)
  16. DeAndre Hopkins, HOU (at OAK)
  17. Davante Adams, GB (at WAS)
  18. Golden Tate, DET (vs JAX)
  19. Julian Edelman, NE (at SF)
  20. Terrelle Pryor, CLE (vs PIT)
  21. Randall Cobb, GB (at WAS)
  22. Jarvis Landry, MIA (at LA)
  23. Marvin Jones, DET (vs JAX)
  24. Rishard Matthews, TEN (at IND)
  25. Jamison Crowder, WAS (vs GB)
  26. Jordan Matthews, PHI (at SEA)
  27. Steve Smith, BAL (at DAL)
  28. Cameron Meredith, CHI (at NYG)
  29. Mike Wallace, BAL (at DAL)
  30. Kenny Britt, LA (vs MIA)
  31. Sterling Shepard, NYG (vs CHI)
  32. Tyreek Hill, KC (vs TB)
  33. Eli Rogers, PIT (at CLE)
  34. Corey Coleman, CLE (vs PIT)
  35. Robert Woods, BUF (at CIN)
  36. Cole Beasley, DAL (vs BAL)
  37. Ty Montgomery, GB (at WAS)
  38. Devante Parker, MIA (at LA)
  39. DeSean Jackson, WAS (vs GB)
  40. Marquise Lee, JAX (at DET)

Tight End:

  1. Jordan Reed, WAS (vs GB)
  2. Delanie Walker, TEN (at IND)
  3. Tyler Eifert, CIN (vs BUF)
  4. Martellus Bennett, NE (at SF)
  5. Jimmy Graham, SEA (vs PHI)
  6. Travis Kelce, KC (vs TB)
  7. Eric Ebron, DET (vs JAX)
  8. Zach Miller, CHI (at NYG)
  9. Julius Thomas, JAX (at DET)
  10. C.J. Fiedorowicz, HOU (at OAK)
  11. Kyle Rudolph, MIN (vs ARZ)
  12. Cameron Brate, TB (at KC)
  13. Jason Witten, DAL (vs BAL)
  14. Jack Doyle, IND (vs TEN)
  15. Vernon Davis, WAS (vs GB)
  16. Charles Clay, BUF (at CIN)
  17. Zach Ertz, PHI (at SEA)
  18. Gary Barnidge, CLE (vs PIT)
  19. Ladarius Green, PIT (at CLE)
  20. Dwayne Allen, IND (vs TEN)

Defense/Special Teams:

  1. Seattle Seahawks (vs PHI)
  2. Kansas City Chiefs (vs TB)
  3. Arizona Cardinals (at MIN)
  4. Miami Dolphins (at LA)
  5. Minnesota Vikings (vs ARZ)
  6. New England Patriots (at SF)
  7. Pittsburgh Steelers (at CLE)
  8. Los Angeles Rams (vs MIA)
  9. New York Giants (vs CHI)
  10. Oakland Raiders (vs HOU)
  11. Detroit Lions (vs JAX)
  12. Buffalo Bills (at CIN)
  13. Dallas Cowboys (vs BAL)
  14. Cincinnati Bengals (vs BUF)
  15. Washington Redskins (vs GB)